Round The World and other travel

Flight Log 3: AC869

London Heathrow (LHR) - Toronto Pearson (YYZ)

My first reaction, as I took the very short walk into the cabin from Door 1L and caught sight of my seat, was that there wasn't much in the way of free space. However as I settled down, I considered that perhaps I'd become a little spoiled by recent exposures to First Class comfort. This was my first time in a long-haul Business Class cabin laid out in 'herringbone' format and I knew that Air Canada was generally reckoned to have the best such product on the market, judged against fairly stiff competition from the likes of Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand. Although the seats gave an appearance of being packed in, I realised that they weren't any narrower than British Airways Club World; on the other hand, there was considerably less space than offered by the new SWISS product that I'd briefly experienced at the previous year end, on a short hop from Dubai to Muscat. It was a little strange to be angled towards the aisle rather than the window, particularly during the somewhat tedious boarding process, which involved the entire passenger complement slowly making their was through the Business Class cabin and frequently coming to a complete standstill.

At a convenient moment, I was offered a choice of orange juice or Champagne and found the latter to be irresistibly naughty at this time of the morning. Newspapers and menu booklets were also handed out; an amenity kit, set of earplugs, blanket, pillow, headset and bottle of water were already to be found in the seat area. Doors were closed at 0829 as the Captain announced that we would be taking an unusually northerly route, with the promise of good views of Greenland, in an attempt to avoid adverse head winds. We left our stand a mere two minutes down on the schedule. A lovely 'Boeing roar' accompanied our departure from Runway 27L at 0848.

Cabin service began with the distribution of hot towels, which although of the cheap kind, were at least nice and warm. After my earlier indulgence, I decided to stick to coffee when a pre-breakfast beverage was offered. I browsed the enRoute in-flight entertainment system and decided to watch The King's Speech, a much acclaimed recent movie that I had somehow managed to miss so far. The breakfast menu was as follows:

BREAKFAST

Appetizers

Fresh Orange Juice

Sliced seasonal Fruit

Yogurt

Croissants and Pains au Chocolat with Butter and Preserves

Main Course

Asparagus and Cheddar Omelette accompanied by Chicken Sausage, Spinach and Lyonnaise Potatoes

I though the breakfast was of generous proportions and really quite tasty, and I had no problem at all scoffing the lot! The King's Speech soon came to an end and I sat back realising what a brilliant, funny and touching film it had been. I took the opportunity to check up on our progress. Having begun our Atlantic crossing from the coast of Northern Ireland, we were now to the south of Reykjavik. I noticed that the TV section of the IFE menu contained a Just for Laughs show. Rather than the usual practical jokes on members of the public, this one was a series of stand-up comedy routines from the Montreal Comedy Festival, but it provided a bit of light relief after the movie. The cabin crew proved to be quite attentive as far as offering drinks was concerned and I had an apple juice as we approached the coast of Greenland, which looked absolutely stunning in the clear conditions.

Browsing the entertainment lists once again, I decided to watch Knight and Day, another recent movie about which I'd heard reasonably good reports but had not actually seen. The drinks rounds continued and, after a while, I found myself switching to Champagne, which was served accompanied by some mixed nuts. I did a little reading after my second movie was finished and then a further round of hot towels two hours before the scheduled arrival time indicated that lunch was imminent.

LUNCH		WINES
Appetizer		CHAMPAGNE
Smoked salmon with Melon Salsa and Pine Nuts		Champagne Drappier Carte d'Or Brut, Reims, France

Salad		WHITE WINES
Baby Leaf Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Black Olives, served with Balsamic Vinaigrette		Paua Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand
		Henry of Pelham Reserve Chardonnay, Niagara, Canada
Main Courses
Rack of Lamb in Jus presented with roasted New Potatoes, Broccoli and Mixed Peppers		RED WINES
Seared Breast of Chicken complemented by Wild Rice and Rataouille		MAN Vintners Pinotage, Paarl, South Africa
Baked Fillet of Cod in Tomato Saffron Sauce accompanied by Mashed Potatoes with Mustard and braised Fennel		Domaine Nicole, Coteaux de Bessilles, France
Pumpkin Risotto with Parsley and Italian Cheese		PORT
		Dow's Port, Portugal
A selection of fresh Breads with Butter

Selection of Cheese
Medium English Cheddar, Somerset Brie and Stilton, served with crackers

Dessert
Warm Signature Chocolate Lava Cake served with Vanilla Ice Cream

In fairly typical Business Class fashion, a tray was presented already loaded with starter, salad (with dressing) and cheese, and bread was offered at the same time. As appears to have become my practice in recent years, I drank Champagne and water with my starters and switched to a more conventional wine, in this case the New Zealand white, to accompany my main course. I thoroughly enjoyed the starter and salad and thought that the main course was perfectly edible but not in any sense outstanding. I resisted the temptation to have some port with my cheese, having seen some of the servings and not wishing to arrive in Canada slightly the worse for wear! I declined the full dessert but gladly accepted a plain ice cream when this was offered as an alternative. The meal was rounded off by a coffee served in a full-size mug. It occurred to me that, on a relatively short transatlantic crossing, we had been served two very substantial meals, one full meal and a light snack being far more common these days.

A spell of turbulence ensued, but we managed to have a short period with the seat belt signs off to allow washroom visits prior to final approach. It was with some dismay that I heard the expected weather on landing: raining and cold, with a temperature of just 9C. Touchdown was behind schedule at 1142 local time and we arrived on-stand five minutes later, the weather looking just as dismal as the announcement had led us to expect.

So ended my first-ever flight with Air Canada and I was duly impressed. It was certainly the best North American carrier that I had experienced to date, by some considerable margin.